Health Policy
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Will incentivizing people to shop for lower priced tests, drugs whittle down America’s healthcare costs?
State public employee insurance programs were among the early adopters of providing financial incentives for participants to shop around for tests at lower costs. Now this approach is finding a foothold among policymakers and in the private sector.
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Without congressional action, insurers say premiums will go up in 2019 due to uncertainty
Insurers have until summer to decide if they want to continue to sell policies in the ACA marketplaces, but many start making preliminary decisions as early as April.
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In-home care positioned to play a key role in the consumerization of healthcare
Eddie Peloke, CEO of Workpath, spoke to why in-home care can drive the next stage of this industry-wide movement
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GAO: Medicaid experiments aren’t being properly evaluated to determine if they improve care, save money
The use of Medicaid demonstration programs accelerated during the 1990s. But in recent years the experiments have often reflected the political leanings of state officials or the party controlling the White House.
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Trump administration proposed rule to bring back short-term health insurance options could weaken ACA
The new rule is expected to entice younger and healthier people from the general insurance pool by allowing a range of lower-cost options that don’t include all the benefits required by the federal law — including plans that can reject people with preexisting medical conditions.
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6 healthcare priorities highlighted in FDA’s budget proposal
FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb offered a window into the regulator’s priorities for drug and device development as part of its budget proposal.
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Blue Cross of Idaho’s new plans don’t comply with ACA rules. What will HHS Secretary Alex Azar do about it?
Will Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar use his authority to compel Idaho to follow the ACA and reject the Blues plans?
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Trump’s budget flirts with combating high drug prices
The White House’s proposal, which comes after Congress passed a two-year spending deal last week, sets the tone for the administration’s focus on prescription drugs.
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Report: States running ACA marketplaces saw increases during open enrollment last year
Enrollment in marketplaces fully or partially run by states, for example, showed a small overall increase of 0.2 percent over the previous year, while the 34 states that rely entirely on the federal hub saw sign-ups drop by 5.3 percent, the report said.
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Funding for Community Health Center program caught up in Congressional dysfunction
The Community Health Center program serves 27 million people at almost 10,000 nonprofit clinics nationwide, almost all of which are in low-income rural and urban areas.
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Improving health in one of the most complex and costly chronic conditions
Kidney care in the U.S. needs an overhaul. Changing today’s expensive, disconnected care model requires moving from volume to value.
Misha Palecek, Chief Transformation Officer, DaVita Kidney Care
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Battleground on drug price legislation shifts to states and so does lobbying by PhRMA
With federal officials seemingly unwilling or unable to come up with legislation to control skyrocketing drug prices, that task is increasingly moving to the states. But so is pharma muscle and money opposing the measures.
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States eye cuts to Non-Emergency Medical Transportation programs geared for Medicaid patients
Most states rely on NEMT brokers or managed-care organizations to administer the transportation services. Other states run the service directly, paying providers on a per-ride basis, while some use local ride services and pay independent taxi firms to shuttle patients.
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CDC director quits amidst report she purchased tobacco and pharma stock
Brenda Fitzgerald has resigned from the CDC amidst a Politico report that she invested not only in Japan Tobacco but also in Merck, Bayer, and Humana since taking office.
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Survey: In battleground states, topic of healthcare not as important as jobs, North Korea policy
The poll found that nearly half of Americans believed there is still a federal requirement for everyone to obtain health insurance, even though Congress’ tax bill last year repealed the penalties for that requirement in the Affordable Care Act, known as the individual mandate.
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KHN analysis: The revolving door between Capitol Hill and the drug industry
KHN analysis showed that more than a dozen former drug industry employees now have jobs on Capitol Hill — often on committees that handle health care policy.
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What does the government shutdown mean for healthcare services?
A government shutdown will have far-reaching effects for public health, including the nation’s response to the current, difficult flu season. It will also disrupt some federally supported health services, experts said Friday.
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Digital: Healthcare’s co-pilot in delivering consumer-oriented care
With other industries digitizing their business processes and providing top-notch consumer experience, the healthcare industry is under pressure to improve its consumer experience.
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A guide to selecting the best health cloud vendor for your healthcare organization
As healthcare organizations make progress on their way to the digital transformation of healthcare, choosing a health cloud vendor to support and enable that work should not be taken lightly.
